I have a few tidbits and notes remaining from Saturday's New Jersey RCS Camp. Below are my final impressions from this past weekend.
- I had an extended talk with Rob Matos, father of DE Yetur Matos, on Saturday. That was actually my first time meeting Mr. Matos. We probably talked for 30 minutes about all sorts of different things - from annoying reporters, haha, to Penn State and why they love it. Mr. Matos is really good guy. His family stands for all the right things. From talking to him, I got the sense that they really turned every stone while looking at schools. That usually bodes well when it comes to guys sticking with their commitments and not backing out down the road. I also noticed that Rob Matos was able to meet Terrance Parsons, Micah Parson's father, for the first time this past weekend. It's always good for families to get to know each other. That usually only helps the staff in the long run.
- I'm beginning to think that Penn State has a better chance with LB Drew Singleton than I originally thought. To be blunt, one of Penn State's recent commits has flat out told us that Penn State is the favorite right now. I'm not 100% buying that, but I do think that PSU should be able to get one of his five official visits. A few months back, I wasn't getting that vibe from Singleton at all, so he's definitely someone to monitor as we move forward. As I posted after the Blue-White Game, I know his father was very impressed with Penn State. I talked about that briefly with Drew on Saturday. He also spoke very highly of James Franklin.
- Penn State is still firmly in the mix with DT Dalyn Wade-Perry. I think the competition has definitely stepped things up over the past couple of months, but I'm not putting a ton of stock into Wade-Perry's top five from this past weekend. He's just not a fan of the media. For the most part, he's just going to say whatever to get the interview to wrap up, so don't overthink his comments from Saturday. I think PSU will get one of his five official visits. I also don't expect his recruitment to end anytime soon.
- I tried to catch up with DB Deon Jones on Saturday, but it was difficult to get anything out of him about Penn State. He admitted earlier in the day that Florida, Florida State and Oklahoma are three schools that he's targeting for official visits, but even that is tentative. He was kind of put on the spot about that, so keep that in mind. When it comes to PSU, Jones said he enjoyed his visit and had a fun time, but when I asked about him returning, he said it's unlikely anytime soon. I also specifically asked about the Lasch Bash and he said it's unlikely, so for now, I need to see more from him before I look at Jones as someone we should focus on in the defensive backfield. Maryland, Florida, Florida State and Clemson are all likely ahead of PSU.
- One guy that I'm upset I didn't get to speak with more is WR Cameron Sullivan-Brown. However, he told me the same thing he told the other reporters, which is that Maryland, Duke and Penn State are the three schools that are standing out the most currently. I tried to get a better feel for how serious he's considering Duke. He really didn't have that much to say, so I'm thinking this is ultimately going to come down to Penn State and Maryland. I also think there's a very real chance that he could make a commitment in the next month or two. Put it this way: If he's not committed by the Lasch Bash BBQ, which will probably be July 16, then he'll be one of the main guys I'm watching for a commitment that weekend.
- 2018 DT PJ Mustipher is someone to watch closely for a visit in the near future. There's a chance Mustipher visits May 21. If not, I expect him to be on campus in early June. That's big for PSU because I don't really think they're a serious player at the moment. That visit will likely help the staff stick around in this race, but as of now, I think they're probably outside of his top five. With his brother at Notre Dame, I think the Irish should be considered the early favorite.
- Another prospect that I'm watching for a visit May 21 is DT Corey Bolds. Bolds actually told my colleagues that he plans to visit PSU May 23, but I believe he misspoke. I'm still trying to clarify that with Bolds, but for now, I have him penciled in to visit PSU May 21. There could be a few Paramus Catholic prospects on campus that weekend. We'll see what happens.
- 2018 TE Elijah McAllister is a name that you all have to remember moving forward. He definitely has to improve his route running, but I've been able to talk to him about Penn State a few times now, including Saturday. He grew up a big PSU fan. He's consistently told me that an offer from Penn State would be a very big deal to him. Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse and Temple were the first four schools to offer. He then added an offer from Tennessee a few nights ago.
- I had an extended talk with Rob Matos, father of DE Yetur Matos, on Saturday. That was actually my first time meeting Mr. Matos. We probably talked for 30 minutes about all sorts of different things - from annoying reporters, haha, to Penn State and why they love it. Mr. Matos is really good guy. His family stands for all the right things. From talking to him, I got the sense that they really turned every stone while looking at schools. That usually bodes well when it comes to guys sticking with their commitments and not backing out down the road. I also noticed that Rob Matos was able to meet Terrance Parsons, Micah Parson's father, for the first time this past weekend. It's always good for families to get to know each other. That usually only helps the staff in the long run.
- I'm beginning to think that Penn State has a better chance with LB Drew Singleton than I originally thought. To be blunt, one of Penn State's recent commits has flat out told us that Penn State is the favorite right now. I'm not 100% buying that, but I do think that PSU should be able to get one of his five official visits. A few months back, I wasn't getting that vibe from Singleton at all, so he's definitely someone to monitor as we move forward. As I posted after the Blue-White Game, I know his father was very impressed with Penn State. I talked about that briefly with Drew on Saturday. He also spoke very highly of James Franklin.
- Penn State is still firmly in the mix with DT Dalyn Wade-Perry. I think the competition has definitely stepped things up over the past couple of months, but I'm not putting a ton of stock into Wade-Perry's top five from this past weekend. He's just not a fan of the media. For the most part, he's just going to say whatever to get the interview to wrap up, so don't overthink his comments from Saturday. I think PSU will get one of his five official visits. I also don't expect his recruitment to end anytime soon.
- I tried to catch up with DB Deon Jones on Saturday, but it was difficult to get anything out of him about Penn State. He admitted earlier in the day that Florida, Florida State and Oklahoma are three schools that he's targeting for official visits, but even that is tentative. He was kind of put on the spot about that, so keep that in mind. When it comes to PSU, Jones said he enjoyed his visit and had a fun time, but when I asked about him returning, he said it's unlikely anytime soon. I also specifically asked about the Lasch Bash and he said it's unlikely, so for now, I need to see more from him before I look at Jones as someone we should focus on in the defensive backfield. Maryland, Florida, Florida State and Clemson are all likely ahead of PSU.
- One guy that I'm upset I didn't get to speak with more is WR Cameron Sullivan-Brown. However, he told me the same thing he told the other reporters, which is that Maryland, Duke and Penn State are the three schools that are standing out the most currently. I tried to get a better feel for how serious he's considering Duke. He really didn't have that much to say, so I'm thinking this is ultimately going to come down to Penn State and Maryland. I also think there's a very real chance that he could make a commitment in the next month or two. Put it this way: If he's not committed by the Lasch Bash BBQ, which will probably be July 16, then he'll be one of the main guys I'm watching for a commitment that weekend.
- 2018 DT PJ Mustipher is someone to watch closely for a visit in the near future. There's a chance Mustipher visits May 21. If not, I expect him to be on campus in early June. That's big for PSU because I don't really think they're a serious player at the moment. That visit will likely help the staff stick around in this race, but as of now, I think they're probably outside of his top five. With his brother at Notre Dame, I think the Irish should be considered the early favorite.
- Another prospect that I'm watching for a visit May 21 is DT Corey Bolds. Bolds actually told my colleagues that he plans to visit PSU May 23, but I believe he misspoke. I'm still trying to clarify that with Bolds, but for now, I have him penciled in to visit PSU May 21. There could be a few Paramus Catholic prospects on campus that weekend. We'll see what happens.
- 2018 TE Elijah McAllister is a name that you all have to remember moving forward. He definitely has to improve his route running, but I've been able to talk to him about Penn State a few times now, including Saturday. He grew up a big PSU fan. He's consistently told me that an offer from Penn State would be a very big deal to him. Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse and Temple were the first four schools to offer. He then added an offer from Tennessee a few nights ago.
